Phillies: 3 Trade Targets With Cincinnati Reds

The Philadelphia Phillies have been ravaged by injuries throughout this youing 2021 season, like many other teams. Lack of outfield depth has contributed to an inconsistent start for the second team in the National League East. As recent as Saturday, the Phillies lost another outfielder for the season, possibly for his career. The injury-prone but speedy Roman Quinn suffered a nasty Achilles injury while running the bases and all reports have pointed to his season being over. The Phillies must find some quality depth in their outfield. They can find that depth through a trade.

Throughout the season, the Phillies front office has shuffled the same group of outfielders from the minor leagues to the majors in an attempt to patch up some major holes created by injuries. A carousel of Mickey Moniak, Roman Quinn, and Adam Haseley has made their way through Citizens Bank Ballpark but, of the trio, none have been able to make their mark and create a permanent spot for themselves on the Phillies roster.

In an effort to bolster the outfield which has been ravaged by injuries, the Phillies called up 30-year-old outfielder Travis Jankowski. Jankowski is adept at playing all three outfield positions, but he has never proven to be a major league hitter at the plate. Across almost 1,000 plate appearances in six years, Jankowski has hit eight home runs with a subpar slash line of .238/.315/.628. Obviously, he is not a long-term solution. The Phillies may not have long-term solutions in their farm system or are just too impatient to find out. Either way, the Phillies series opponent, the Cincinnati Reds, has some possible trade options that may entice the Phillies.

Tyler Naquin, OF

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tyler Naquin is currently raking for the Reds with fellow outfielder Nick Senzel on the 10-day disabled list. With Senzel healthy, the Reds have four outfielders capable of starting on most major league teams. With the other outfielders performing better than Naquin, he may be the best bet for a trade opportunity.

Defensively, Naquin can play all three outfield positions adding much-needed versatility to the Phillies bench. Throughout his career, Naquin has split time evenly amongst centerfield and rightfield. With injuries to Senzel in 2021, Naquin has primarily played center field in Cincinnati. In 2019, Naquin led the American League with nine assists from rightfield and, in 2020, he was second in the American League with five assists from the outfield, showing he has a very capable arm. Naquin may cost more than the Phillies are willing to depart within a trade.

The 30-year-old is playing on a one-year, $1.5 million contract and will be arbitration-eligible for one more year before reaching free agency in 2023. With solid defense and versatility, Naquin also offers a quality bat when given the chance. In 2016, Naquin’s debut season, he was given the majority of playing time and saw action in 116 games including 365 plate appearances. Naquin slashed a solid .296/.372/.886 with 14 home runs and 18 doubles.

Since 2016, with the exception of 2021, Naquin has been unable to earn a full-time playing role. Given the opportunity on a team like the Phillies, where competition is open for two spots, Naquin could solidify the Phillies outfield.

Heath Hembree, RP

The 32-year-old relief pitcher could make a return to his 2020 team; the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have some good relievers who are performing up to expectations but they also have two or three relievers that have fundamentally not pitched to expectations at all; Archie Bradley and Brandon Kintzler. In a win-now mode, the Phillies must solidify the bullpen if they expect to make the playoffs and advance in the playoffs. Hembree could be a cheap, one-year option to patch up part of the middle relief in the Phillies bullpen. Hembree is currently playing on a minor league contract so contract mitigation will be nonexistent in a trade.

After a disappointing 2020, Hembree is back to his regular form. His strikeouts per nine innings dipped below double digits for the first time in five years in 2020 but Hembree has brought that ratio back to 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Impressively, Hembree has decreased his WHIP from 1.789 in 2020 to .628 in 2021. These numbers are impressive and Hembree may not be able to keep it up throughout the entire season but staying close to a .628 WHIP for an entire season is only beneficial to his team.

With Archie Bradley and Brandon Kintzler consistently struggling, Hembree would solidify the middle innings bridging to a solid end of bullpen including Ranger Suarez and Hector Neris.